Snarf

It was really just the motivation to finally do something about it. I'm lucky in that my fiancee worked very hard in school, and at her current job, and it has paid off very well financially. We were able to put it on a 0-interest credit card. The dentist had financing options that were actually pretty palatable, but her good credit and ability to pay off the charges made it easier for us to use the card route.

So really it was just me being sick and tired of being upset about my appearance. My future mother-in-law's dentist recommended one in our area, so I went for a consultation and he was fantastic. He was completely honest in telling me I had one of the worst cases he had seen, but he showed me pictures of previous work and the guy was good. Really good. I could tell he was excited about helping me, and help he me did. My confidence level is much higher, and I'm not constantly worried about laughing at something funny or smiling at something that makes me happy. I can just be me, and be happy.

There's still much work to do, but the main, obvious cosmetic issues were addressed first. We're talking over $20,000 worth of work here, but its benefit far outweighs that. Just the way I feel about myself is worth the cost, but also it will help me earn more money in the future as people are more comfortable talking with me and my confidence level shines through. It's a lot of money, but in the long run it's well worth it and I feel the dental work will actually end up paying for itself.